The Masses in Dead Space
by Shotgun Steve
Summary: A mining ship begins operations on a resource rich world in dead space, but is discovered by a galagtic power. Days later they try to make contact, only to find everything has changed. Now the contact team is in a fight for surrvival against horrors that are more terrifying then nightmares. Will they escape to warn their own people, or will they be swollowed whole by the dark?
1. Prologue: Discoveries

**A/N: First things first. Sorry about not updating Deep in the Deep. Currently have writers block on that and this idea will not let me get unblocked. Hopefully, this will be more successful then DD, but I will get back to it. Anyway enjoy the new story, and please leave a review or PM so I know what you think. I would really like to know if you think I got the characters right when we get to that stage.**

**Disclaimer: Dead Space and its characters are owned by EA. Mass Effect and its characters are also owned by EA, but Bioware as well. Can't let EA control everything can we. :)**

The Masses in Dead Space

Prologue: Discoveries

_"Let's just start and see what happens."_

_-Sarah Dessen, What Happened to Goodbye_

Deep in the darkest parts of space, laid a dead world. But just because it is dead, does not make it useless. The planet was Aegis 7, and it was referred to as a gold mine by those very same people who named it. Those very same people were taking advantage of such a planet and were taking whatever they could from it. They were the Humans and they were not gentle taking what they wanted. In fact Humans would do whatever they felt necessary to meet their goals, a fact proven by the large ship in orbit of the dead world. They were there to gather the resources from deep under the rock and sand. To do so, the ship itself was attached to the planet in order to rip the rock from the planet. Whether it was valuable or not could be determined later. Some would call this a careless move that could harm the planet, but this is exactly the kind of job that the USG Ishimura was designed for. Any questions of morality would not be among the crew or captain. It might be said that it would not be among Humanity either. Earth needed resources, and as long as Ishimura provided, no one cared where they came from or at what cost.

"Sir, gravity tethers are in place."

"Very well. Pop the cork"

On the Captains word, the ship tore part of the planet away. The Humans believed that they were alone there. They hadn't encountered life in the denser parts of the galaxy, so why should they encounter it here? And the planet had no life so the system was obviously uninhabited. But the Humans should know from experience that not everything there comes from there. Unknown to the Ishimura and its crew, it was being watched. To far away to be seen but close enough to see, a probe was viewing these newcomers. It had been for the past few days in order to gather enough data to build a rough translator between its people and theirs. Data banks full on footage and communications, the probe turned and left to return to its masters. Neither they nor the Humans could imagine what horrors had been unleashed.

But they would learn. They would learn what true fear was... and that "dead space" only means that nothing has been found, not that nothing exists.

**A/N: Just a short start to get the idea out. Don't worry (yaeh right, as if you're concerned about this) the first chapter will be out in a couple of days at latest. It's already nearly finished.**


	2. Chapter 1: So It Begins

**A/N: Wow. Over 100 views in a single day. I really wasn't expecting that. Thanks to everyone who gave this a read. Also big thanks to Shottyking and Jouaint. It is nice to know that this story at least has a chance of being good. Seriously. :)**

**Anyway, here's the first chapter.**

The Masses in Dead Space

Chapter 1: So It Begins

_"It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires a great deal of strength to decide what to do."_

_Elbert Hubbard_

At the heart of galactic civilization, all was decided by three individuals and now they had gathered in private to discuss a matter of grave importance. Normally the Council, as it was known, would gather at the top of their tower overlooking a presidium to make all decisions available for the public. But this was not a normal meeting, for one of their probes that were sent to discover new resource worlds had in fact discovered a new race, and a decision had to be made about what to do with this knowledge.

"These newcomers have proven destructive beyond reason. You should allow the Hierarchy to subdue them and then we can teach them how to act civilized." said Sparatus, the Council representative for the Turian Hierarchy. Ever since he learned of what the new race had done to the unnamed world he was against peaceful negotiation and open to force. He saw a barbaric group that needed to be taught a lesson, but he also admired them. They were able to create a ship the same size as a Turian dreadnaught, if not larger. And that was a mining ship. He could only wonder what their war ships were like.

"We can't just declare war on someone because they are desperate. The data we have received indicated that they need a massive amount of resources for some reason. Scans also show that they don't use eezo. What they need is help, not someone trying to kill them." Tevos was the Asari Republics representative on the Council. Unlike Sparatus, she saw someone who needed help. She was also a firm believer in the Council's duty to help the entire galaxy. But secretly, she saw an opportunity to gain a new client race. They were desperate for aid and could do things that the Council could not. This was a perfect chance to increase their own power without much effort, if they played on these "Humans" desperation. And she would be damned if she was going to let Turian pried ruin it.

"Yes. Peace offers best option. Gain knowledge, Gain power. Very little cost or risk. War? War more risky. This ship is a mining ship. War ships likely bigger and more dangerous. Victory not guaranteed." said Tolan, the Salarian Union representative. He believed that peace was the only outcome since there were too many unknowns, after all he knew almost anything back when he served in the STG. Ever since he was informed about the Humans, he was interested. Here was a new race to Citadel Space that had the capability to basically destroy planets without eezo. Everything in Citadel Space revolved around it, depended on it. But not this species. Such technology would benefit all, if it could be gained at the right price.

"Nonsense. They don't use eezo so they can't be that powerful. Besides they are desperate for resources. They are clearly just leaving their home system. How big can their fleet be?" Sparatus was sure that the Turians would be able to beat a race that was apparently desperate already.

"You are wrong." Tolan had seen enough to know the difference between what is certain and what is possible. Sparatus was still young and could only see one side. "All their desperation tells us is that they are using more than they can provide. What makes you think that they aren't a large paranoid empire with too large a fleet to maintain? Also possible that they just fought a war and are hurrying to rebuild. Impossible to know."

"I agree with Tolan." Tevos was not willing to push the Humans too far, even if she did want to "help" them. "If they are willing to do this in peace, albeit desperate peace, what will they do in war?"

"It won't matter. We will win before they realize that they are attacked."

"Are you prepared to risk Palavin on that? Because I'm not prepared to risk Thesia."

"Nor I Sur'Kesh."

Sparatus let out a soft growl. He could tell that he was outnumbered by the senior members of the Council. "Fine. We'll try peace. But the Hierarchy will be ready when it fails."

"Now that that's settled..." Tevos gave a quick glare towards Sparatus. "...we need to decide how we will approach them."

"We have been able to translate some of their language based on the data recovered. Not a complete translation, but it should enable us to make basic discussion. From there an Asari should be able to meld without alarming them."

"How long until you have a working translator?"

"It will take a couple of days to prepare fully working models."

"Good. That just leaves who to send. I recommend Matriarch Benezia. She is one of the most powerful Asari matriarchs alive."

"That will work fine. But we need to make it clear that they are joining multiple species rather then just one dictator." If peace had to be discussed, then Sparatus was not going to allow the Turians to be pushed to the sideline. "I recommend that we each send a Spectre. The Turian Hierarchy will also provide the transport."

"What ship will you send?"

"The cruiser Spirit's Blessing will be appropriate for this task. I would also like to send Spectre Saren Arterius for this mission. He is young but I have faith in his abilities. Who will you send?"

"I would like to send Tela Vasir. She has proven loyal and capable when the situation requires. What about you Tolan?"

"Would like to send Ledra. He has proven capable a decrypting foreign technology. If diplomacy fails, he will be able to gather data on their technology."

"Then it is settled. Tolan will provide us with translators. Matriarch Benezia will lead the mission. And we will all send a Spectre aboard a Turian vessel to meet this new species. This meeting of the Council is adjourned."

"No need to say that Tevos. This is a private meeting." Tolan said with a smirk on his face.

* * *

Saren Arterius could not believe his luck. Only assigned to the Spectres weeks ago as the youngest Turian ever to do so, and his first mission for the Council was to provide security escort for a first contact. He didn't know which spirit was looking out for him, but they sure liked him.

He has just boarded the cruiser Spirit's Blessing and was making his way to the briefing room to meet the rest of the team. Outside the room stood an aged Salarian. He had heard that all Councillors were sending a Spectre, but he hadn't met them yet. Before he could walk past, the Salarian stopped him.

"Greetings. You must be Saren Arterius correct? I'm Ledra, Salarian representative for this mission."

Saren bowed slightly. "Nice to meet you. I am indeed Saren. Tell me have you heard anything else about the mission, all I know is that it is a first contact with a race called Humans."

Ledra chuckled slightly at that. "Excited eh? Don't blame you. I was supposed to have retired, spend the rest of my life with my family. But when I heard about this, well it was too good to pass up. One last mission, one last job. This should prove much more morally clean then past assignments."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just because I'm a Spectre does not mean that I'm a saint. Sometimes this job requires you to sacrifice for the greater good. Such a thing is troubling."

"You make it sound like you regret your job." Both Saren and Ledra turned to see an Asari. "We do what we must. Without us the Council would have fallen long ago."

"Of course. Didn't mean to imply I regret my choices. I just wish it didn't come to be that bad. I take it that you're Tela Vasir?"

"Yeah, that's me. Come on the rest will be waiting for us and we're just stood here talking." With that Vasir pushed her way past the others into the briefing room.

Saren was about to follow but was stopped by Ledra. "Don't trust her. She is likely to look for an excuse to fight this new race to acquire their technology. And she won't hesitate to use us to that end." Saren nodded and the two Spectres made their way inside.

Once inside they saw that the room contained Matriarch Benezia and two of her followers, as well as Captain Desolas Arterius who was commander of the ship and Saren's brother, as well as other senior members of the vessel. Once they found their seats, Benezia gathered everyone's attention to begin the briefing.

"Ladies and gentlemen, four days ago a scouting probe returned after discovering a new species. This you know and this is why you have gathered." Benezia paused as if trying to thin of how to word her next sentence. "What you do not know is that the ship of this new species was ripping away a small chunk of the planet it was orbiting." At that moment an image of the vessel came on the screen behind her.

Saren was shocked at the sight. A small chunk was an understatement, they had ripped deep towards the planet core and loose debris was already forming an asteroid field. The ship itself was very blocky in design. While most ships had an attempt to be visually pleasing, even Turian war ships, this was obviously only designed to do its job. What also caught his attention was the sheer size of the ship. It was absolutely massive, even if it wasn't as large as the Destiny Ascension, but there was one thing that he didn't understand. "Lady Benezia, why is it that this species has used a war ship to tear a planet apart? A mining ship can do the same job and damage the planet less."

"This is a mining ship." At that response the room filled with murmurs and mutterings. "It appears that this is the way that they gather resources. They use the ship to drag the earth to them, and process it on board."

"How do you know that?"

"The probe that discovered them watched them for several days before returning to the Council. In that time it was able to discover the purpose of the ship, as well as acquire several communications between the ship and a planet side colony." She then turned to one of her followers who nodded and began handing out devices to all those present. "We have been able to make a translator based on what the probe acquired. Although not a complete translation, it should enable basic communication and allow a meld without alerting them."

"What if they prove hostile?"

"As a mining ship, it is believed that they will only have a small security team. If this is the case, we are to gather what data we can before leaving. If they have a large security force then we are to retreat and tell the Council of the threat."

"Why do we need to gather data?" Ledra asked. He personally didn't see the point of such a risky move.

"Because this ship operates without the use of eezo. They are capable of doing things that the Council can't, so we are to see what we can gather from them. However it is possible that the lack of eezo has made their technology difficult to maintain, hence the drastic actions in mining. Any other questions?" Benezia looked around the room. When no one responded she continued. "Alright, we will arrive in 2 hours. Until then you are to prepare."

Everyone began to move out the room, some talking amongst themselves about what they had learned. Saren went to talk to Ledra. "So, what do you make of all this?"

Ledra just shrugged. "Not sure. Everyone we have ever met has used eezo. It is possible that they don't need to use it, but based on their way of gathering resources it is more likely that they simply don't know about it. It is impossible to tell how advanced they really are until we meet them."

"I'm more concerned about their mentality. If they mine this aggressively, it suggests that they are very hostile as a race."

One of Benezia's followers joined the conversation. "I wouldn't worry about that. It is possible that they are just struggling to meet their resource requirements like Lady Benezia said."

"I hope your right miss..."

"Ah, forgive me. My name is Shiala. Here are your translators." She handed the two Spectres a device each. "I wouldn't let this new species bother you. What's the worst that can happen? We find everyone dead?"

* * *

"YOU TWO GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!"

"The doors unlocked, run."

Hannah Shepard could not believe what was happening. It had only been ten minutes since they arrived and already they had crashed, found the ship deserted, and something had killed two of their team. Now she was running along side Isaac Clarke, the team's engineer, to escape from... whatever it was. At the end of the hall Hannah saw that the elevator was closed.

"Shit. Isaac, go and get the elevator ready. I'll hold them off."

Isaac ran on ahead while Hannah turned and aimed her rifle down the hall. The creature soon came round, features hidden by the shadows. When Hannah saw it she opened fire on her would be attacker. It was then that she learned to her horror that bullets simply did no damage to the beast. When Hannah's clip was empty, it let out a terrifying, almost feral, cry and charged. Hannah turned and ran as fast as she could. She saw that Isaac had the elevator ready and was waiting. She made it inside and no sooner then she had the doors closed, but the elevator refused to move. Isaac was kneeling by the console, tampering with the wires. Hannah placed a fresh clip in her gun and turned to Isaac.

"What's the problem?" Isaac just shrugged. "Well, better fix it fast. I don't know how long..."

Suddenly scraping noises were heard on the other side of the door. Soon after some sort of scythe poked through, followed by another. The two blades forced the doors apart revealing the creature. Hannah heard a cry of pain from Isaac and saw that the blade opening the door on his side had also managed to slash his shoulder. The moment's distraction was all the creature needed to let out a horrifying roar and leap forward. But Isaac was quicker. With his good arm he reached out and pulled one of the loose wires. The door slammed shut and cut of both creature's arms at the elbows. The creature let out a howl of pain, the elevator then began its slow decent.

"Thanks. Here, take this." Hannah gave Isaac a small pack of medical gel and turned her attention to what was left of the creature in the elevator. It looked human, or at least as human as a severed arm could. The only major difference was that it had a giant blade sticking out the palm of its hand. Turning to look at Isaac, she voiced what they were both thinking. "What the hell happened here?"

**A/N: Before anyone says so, I know Saren didn't become a Spectre until two years after first contact, but it made more sense for the story. I also know that Tolan was not the Salarian Councillors name, but I figured that he probably became councillor after first contact because...well...Salarian. I will also be keeping Isaac mute for this first story because, again, it fits in. Be sure to let me know what you think in either a review or PM. Also feel free to ask any questions you want.**


	3. Chapter 2: Into Darkness

**A/N: Sorry about the delay. I fell ill and was unable to focus for a few weeks. But here's the next chapter. I now have access to Microsoft Word so spelling and grammar should be better. Emphasis on should. But I doubt it will be perfect because I am pretty useless at that sort of thing. Thanks to everyone for the reviews, and enjoy the next chapter.**

Thee Masses in Dead Space

Chapter 2: Into Darkness

_Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it._

_Terry Pratchett, Reaper Man_

Desolas stood at the bridge of his ship. They were about to arrive at their destination and Desolas wanted to see just how accurate their information was. Sure, he could imagine a ship of that size. After all, the Destiny Ascension was larger and stations like the Citadel proved that was not the limit of size. But what he couldn't imagine was a ship with the deliberate intention of tearing a planet apart. It defied all reasoning. If the planet is damaged, you can't use it for a permanent colony. Without a colony you have no influence in the sector. Of course, it was quite possible that they didn't see the need to expand their influence. After all, it might be their first contact with alien life at all. That meant that there wasn't anyone else to compete for regions with. They could just walk in and take what they wanted. That will end when the council interferes.

"Captain, we are exiting FTL now."

The ship shuddered as it returned to normal travel just away from the planet. If there was a debris field, it wouldn't help if they were right in the middle of it.

And, spirits, was there a debris field. If he couldn't see part of the large crater in the planet behind Desolas would have assumed it was an asteroid belt around the planet. But some were far too far away from the planet to be in orbit. Almost as if the Humans had threw it away when they had what they wanted. Why would the Council waste time try to be diplomatic to such a race? They were even more destructive then the Krogan. At least they waited until they were at war to start destroying worlds.

"Navigator, any sign of the target vessel on sensors?"

"Yes sir. It appears that part of the debris has drifted in front of it. It will be out the way momentarily, then we can begin our approach."

Desolas just grunted at the information. As much as he disapproved of what the Humans were doing, as a military man, he had to see the ship that was capable of doing it. True to the navigator's word, the piece of debris blocking is view moved, and Desolas wished he hadn't seen. The data was accurate word for word. Sure he had seen the pictures. But to see it in person, to see this giant... block of mettle holding part of the planet? That was something entirely different. The ship had no style. It was designed for its job, and only its job. If their war ships were the same, then it would be a bloody fight no matter how "primitive" the Humans were. Perhaps the Council was right after all.

"Move us in. Tell the contact team to be ready. As soon as their clear, we move to a safe distance. I don't want us to be in the path of that debris field longer then we have to be."

The Spirit's Blessing moved forward. It was then that one of the crew noticed something.

"Why is it so dark? It was nothing like that in the data we received."

Desolas was trying to think of a reason before Lieutenant Romlus, his second in command, beat him to it. "It's possible they had a power failure. Looks like the ship is on emergency power. How... fortunate for us."

"How is this "fortunate" Romlus?"

"Just thinking aloud, sir. But if we use this to our advantage, offer to help them, it could make negotiations smoother and in our favour."

"Either way, we should finish this up as soon as possible."

"No complaints here. Something doesn't feel right about any of this."

When Romlus had feelings like that, it was a sure sign to get out as fast as you could.

* * *

Shiala was boarding the shuttle that would take them to the Human vessel. To say she was excited would be an understatement. Sure she papered calm on the outside, but on the inside she felt like a young child again. Here was a new race, a new way of life, and she was going to be one of the first to meet them. There was so much to learn, especially since they didn't use ezo. A chance to learn from something so... different was all she ever wanted.

"Ha! Those idiots had a breakdown. I know we're here to negotiate, but it seems they want us to have every advantage." Obviously Vasir felt different.

The shuttle took of and began to move towards its destination.

"Desolas, Benezia here. We've taken of and are moving to the target now."

"Understood. We're moving clear of the debris field. Wouldn't do to have two broken ships in the middle of nowhere. May the spirits go with you."

With that, the comm. died and the crew settled in for the longest short ride of their lives. Shiala took the chance to study the rest of the team. Lady Benezia was a strong woman, both physically and mentally. She was the perfect role model for asari such as herself. A diplomat at heart, but a capable warrior if need be. Velra was the other one of Benezia's aids this mission. The two had worked together, and were quite close. Sure Velra was young and prone to panic, but in time she would learn to control her fear. Then there were the Speectres. Vasir was a pure renegade at heart. She obviously wasn't interested in diplomacy. She was here for something else. But what? Ledra was the opposite of Vasir. A paragon at heart, he always looked for a peaceful solution first. But if a fight did break out, he would do what had to be done. He was what a Spectre should be like. And last but not least, Saren was the youngest member here. No doubt, with this been his first assignment, he would look to the other Spectres for guidance. Paragon or renegade. Shiala would do her best to see that he followed the right path.

"We're almost there. Everyone get ready, we were unable to communicate with them so they may be... a little alarmed by our presence."

The contact team began checking their equipment one last time. But then the shuttle violently rocked. The magnetic field was forcing the shuttle out of control. The last thing Shiala knew was that they collided with something, then she lost consciousness.

* * *

Hannah was tired. Ever since they had escaped from the creature, they had been alone. Hammond wanted to get to the bridge so that he could find out what had happened. The trouble was that the tram was broken, and Hannah and Isaac were the only ones able to fix it. They had removed a damaged tram and gathered a new data board for the control room. All the while fighting more of those things. But the scythed ones weren't the only threat. Some were a little different. They didn't have legs, instead a stinger like a scorpion. It was one of those that had stabbed Hannah in the leg, which made moving around harder. She would probably be dead if Isaac hadn't found a plasma cutter and started using it as a weapon. Thanks to that, they were able to learn that the limbs were the weak points. That had helped them save ammo. And they were at the control room, which meant Hannah could treat her leg injury while Isaac fixed the data board. Hannah frowned at that last thought. They were using medical supplies fast. They needed to get more soon, or...

Hannah shook her head and moved over to see how Isaac was doing. Plus a little humour to lighten the mood wouldn't hurt. When Hannah arrived she saw a collection of loose wires. Isaac was placing them one at a time into the new data board to install it.

"Isaac, try moving that wire..." She indicated a random wire. "...there." She pointed to a random place on the board. Isaac to his credit just ignored her and carried on. He picked up a different wire and placed it where Hannah indicated. "No, wrong wire." Isaac stopped working and turned to look at Hannah. It was actually quite intimidating since he was silent, and you couldn't see his face. Hmm, maybe a little humour could hurt.

"I think I'll stand guard." Hannah backed away slowly. When she was far enough away Isaac turned back to his work.

Just then, the area slightly shuddered and they heard the sound of some sort of collision. Hannah opened up a vid-link with Hammond. From the way he and Kendra were talking, she could tell they felt it too. Then again, they were just across from the control room at the tram station.

"Hammond, what was that?"

"Kendra thinks it was some sort of collision in the flight deck."

"There's no "think" about it Hammond. I've lost connection to the Kellion." At this point she couldn't hold her anger anymore and directed it at Hammond. "Damn it, whatever it was collided right into it. That was the only way of the ship, and now we're trapped."

"Calm down. This doesn't change anything immediately. Let's get the logs first and worry about the rest later." Kendra let out a loud sigh. Hammond, obviously making it clear that that was settled, turned back to Hannah. "You appear to be safe in the control room. Once the tram system is fixed stay there. We may need you later."

"Yes sir." With that Hannah closed the link.

This just gets worse and worse.

* * *

Velra regained consciousness. She opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was that she had been thrown through the shuttle door. The second thing she noticed was a pain in her shoulder, it was dislocated. The area that she had landed in was dark. Then she saw it. A figure moving in the shadows towards her. Velra tried to move but found herself to weak to do so. All she could do was watch and wait. The creature was small and appeared to have two wings. On the end of the wings were some talons. It stopped a short distance away from her, almost as if it was thinking. It edged forward slowly. When it was right beside her, it began to let out a soft hissing sound. So this was how her life ended. Survive a crash just to be killed by... something.

Just ten the lights turned on. The creature was startled by the sudden change and almost seemed frightened.

"Velra, where are you?" a voice shouted from somewhere in the distance. The creature looked at Velra and let out one last hiss before diapering into a vent. Shiala and Vasir came into view moments after.

"I told you she was fine."

"Not helping, Vasir." Shiala kneeled down beside Velra. "Are you alright?"

"My shoulder's dislocated." Velra sat up with Shiala's help so that it could be sorted.

"Okay. One...two...three." Shiala snapped the bone back into place and Velra let out a small scream.

"Quiet, you big baby. Come on, we better get back to the others." Vasir then left, not even bothering to see if the others followed.

With a sigh, Shiala helped Velra up and the two followed to the rest of the group.

"So, how did you get the lights back on?"

"You can ask Ledra when we find him. I don't know what he did, but it obvious why everyone says he's good with tech."

The group arrived to where the rest were waiting outside the shuttle. Or rather, the shuttle that was now crashed into the remains of another ship. Velra overheard the last part of a conversation the pilots were having with Benezia.

"...I could probably get it working enough to get us back to the Blessing, but it will take time. You might as well look around the rest of the deck, but don't wonder too far. This place gives me a bad feeling."

"Thank you. We will head further into the ship, see if we can find anyone." Benezzia turned her attention to her followers and the Spectres. "Come on. We're going to the lobby to see if we can find anyone."

The group made their way further down the entrance. Velra couldn't help but keep glancing from side to side. That thing was still out there, and she had the feeling she was being watched. The group arrived at a door. After a few moments, Ledra was able to open the door. The group moved into the room and the lights turned on automatically.

The sight nearly made Velra throw up.

In the middle of the room was a body, apparently of a Human, that had both arms cut off as well as multiple stab wounds. On the right was another body laying beneath some windows. This one had both arms, but instead had its spine and most of its insides hanging out of a huge hole in its back. The thing that surprised Velra the most however, was how Asari they must have looked when they were alive."

"Spirits..." Saren was obviously just as disturbed by the sight as Velra. "What could have done this?"

"Ledra, see if you can find some logs or something to show what happened."

Ledra shook his head at hearing his name, then moved to the body by the windows without a word. While he worked the others moved around the room looking for other clues as to what happened.

"Over here, I found something." The group gathered around Ledra to hear what he had to say. He had moved the body so that it was leaning against the wall. "It seems to be some sort of log, might tell us what happened."

A holographic imaging system of some sort activated on the Human's armour. An image in a variety of blues showed up in front of him.

* * *

_The human who was seeing this was sat at the controls to a ship. In the background a conversation could be heard. They weren't able to understand most of it, but thanks to the translator the words cobalt, silicon and osmium could be understood. No wonder the Humans were interested in this place._

_The ship began to move towards the vessel. When it got close, the ship violently rocked back and forth and sparks came flying out of the consoles. The pilot said something to one of the others, a darker skinned Human. He said something back, but was answered by the other voice from earlier, a female. The dark skinned man shouted something else. The pilot turned to him, only to receive a finger pointed at him with a commanding voice shouting. The pilot turned and pulled a lever from the top. Some sort of shielding closed around the vessel and holographic projectors showed the outside. Then the ship crashed._

_A few minutes later, the group of survivors got up. It was the first time the group was seen in full. Apart from the three already mentioned, there was another man and another woman wearing the same suit as the dark skinned man, except she had a helmet on. Velra recognised the man as the other body. There was also another man in a different sort of suit with a solid helmet. If it wasn't for the blue lights, then Velra would have said he couldn't see in it._

_The group made their way to the same lobby that the video was being played in. After some more arguing, which revealed that the woman with a coat and the dark skinned man didn't get along, the armoured man and woman both exited through a door to the other side f the glass. The armoured man pressed some buttons on a console, and a picture of the ship with red boxes came up. The man who recorded this said something about "damage", then a siren sounded and the doors sealed. An orange light swirled around, making it hard to see. The man aimed his gun at the door. A noise was hearted from somewhere and one of the women started tiling in a panicked tone._

_What happened next shocked everyone. Someone shouted something, and the man fell to the floor screaming. Obviously he was attacked from behind. The sound of gunfire filled the room an instant later. Thanks to the way he landed; he could see the others in the room. Something leapt out from the shadows and attack the other now corpse in the room. After some panicked shouting, the door by the others opened and they ran through. It was impossible to tell what happened to those on the other side of the glass. As soon as the door shut, their was silence. The log ended soon after._

* * *

"Goddess, this was no power cut. Something is here. What should we do?"

Benezia looked thoughtful while she considered the groups options. "We can't leave now, and there might be survivors. I will take Velra and Ledra with me to go the way the Humans did. The rest of you will stay here until the repairs are completed. Shiala, if you see the other Humans you have the authority to meld with them."

The rest of the group nodded and moved to their tasks. Velra was twice as nervous as she was before after seeing that video. What good would being on guard do? The Humans were on guard and they were still torn apart. The three arrived at an elevator and took it down.

* * *

Hammond was just boarding the tram that Isaac had sent, when he heard the elevator open. He turned and started firing into it. It had to be more of them things. Isaac and Hannah were in the control room, and Johnston and Chen were dead. He back into it and Kendra set the tram to do to the bridge. Once the tram was clear he opened a link to Hannah.

"Hannah, be on your guard, they can use doors."

"No, I don't think so."

"What do you mean by that?"

"They are now standing on the platform. Two of them loo almost Human, but the third... I think we may have made first contact."

"As in alien contact?" Hannah nodded. "Well they sure picked a good time." That comment earned a chuckle from Hannah, but then she quietly cursed and ducked. "What's wrong?"

"I think we've been spotted. Hammond, I need to deal with this. I'll try to make peaceful contact with them, see if we can get of this ship."

"Understood. I'll get the logs and we'll meet in the flight deck. Hammond out." He then turned to Kendra. "See, we have a way out now."

* * *

Saren was in the middle of a conversation with Benezia. Apparently, they had been shot at on sight.

"...does not make them hostile."

"They try to kill you and aren't hostile? It seems pretty hostile to me."

"They are obviously scared. They probably thought that we were the same things that just killed two of their team. We need to try and approach them in an open area so we don't startle them. We saw the other two from the log across from where we are. It is safe to say you can get to them from there. We'll call the... tram back and move to the bridge. If they just arrived, they will probably head there first."

"Understood. We'll see how the pilots are doing and go look for them. Saren out."

Just then, the pilots walked in. "We fixed it the best we..." The first pilot stopped speaking when he saw the bodies in the room.

"What happened here?" the second pilot asked.

Before Saren could respond, the doors sealed shut, a siren sounded and an orange light swirled. Just like in the video.

Vasir was the first to speak. "We're about to find out. Time to see the face of our enemy."

**A/N: Just a quick question. Erstellung666 has said that they would rather Isaac not be too mute. As a writer I'm hoping to get your input, so mute Isaac or un-mute Isaac. Please mention in your reviews.**


	4. Chapter 3: Enemies and Unfriendly Fri

**A/N: Hello. Here's the third chapter of MDS. The people have spoken, and so will Isaac. It wasn't as much of a landslide vote as I thought it would be, so he might not speak as much as some of you want. But he will speak. Enjoy the chapter.**

The Masses in Dead Space

Chapter 3: Enemies and Unfriendly Friends

_There are no words to express the abyss between isolation and having one ally. It may be conceded to the mathematician that four is twice two. But two is not twice one; two is two thousand times one._

_G.K. Chesterton_

The siren continued its harsh shriek and the orange glow continued its constant movement around the room. Shiala was aiming her weapon at one of the entrances to the room. To her right stood Saren and Vasir. They were watching the entrance that lead to the other side of the window. To the left stood the two pilots, each with a pistol, watching the entrance they came through. They weren't trained for this type of combat, but their discipline made sure they acted professionally. The group had been like this for ten minutes and nothing had happened. The creatures attacked instantly with the Humans. Why were they waiting now?

She quickly glanced at the two Spectres. Vasir seemed calm and focused on the task at hand. She saw the log just like everyone else, and she wasn't about to be caught of guard. The Humans were, and they paid the price in blood. Then again Shiala doubted that she would be afraid of anything. She was too damned cold blooded for emotions. Saren also seemed to be keeping calm... for the moment. She could see the signs that he was nervous. The occasional glances around the room, the slight shake of his rifle. She couldn't blame him. The creatures came from seeming out of nowhere. But if they kept the entrances covered, then they were safe.

Shiala looked back to the door she was guarding. She had the feeling that she was being watched. Goddess, she hoped the creatures couldn't see through walls. She then noticed a glow coming from the vent by the door. A glow that wasn't there before. She took a step forward for a better look. She saw that it wasn't one glow, but two. Two eyes steering directly at her from the darkness. It was then she realized the truth, how pointless watching the doors was. They didn't need doors. They had vents, and no doubt the vents lead to any part of the ship. A noise in the centre of the room caused all five occupants to turn their weapons. They saw a broken vent cover lying in the middle of them. Shiala looked up and saw the now open vent that the creature used to enter. Another noise behind her attracted the groups' attention once more. Shiala instantly noticed that the vent she was watching earlier was now open. The creatures must be strong to rip of the cover so fast. Then again, the orange light only lit part of the room at a time. The rest was covered in darkness a perfect cover for these. Shiala felt she was missing something.

But what?

* * *

Hammond and Kendra were in the security room near the bridge. They were both trying to bypass the firewalls and access the captain's logs without success. Hammond also wondered about the aliens that Hannah had reported. If there were indeed aliens here, then it could help them in the war against the Sovereign Colonies. Of course, "war" was the polite way of putting it. Thanks to how depleted both sides were, it was barely anything more then skirmishes when both sides happened to bump into each other. But a new alien power on the side of EarthGov would be the end. The aliens didn't even need to know. Just having access to trade for resources would be enough. Finally, after 200 years, it was almost over. Kendra woke Hammond from his thoughts.

"Do you really think we can trust these aliens?" Hammond turned to look at her.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Come on Hammond. This happens and it just happens to be the first meeting for alien life? I don't believe that. What if this was some sort of weapon?"

"Yes, a weapon that makes everyone go crazy and creates monsters."

"Hammond, you know as well as I do that this doesn't add up. Their planning something."

"Just calm down Ms. Denials. This place is making both of us nervous. They're in the exact same situation as us. If it was a weapon, as you so kindly put it, why didn't they disable it before they came aboard?"

"But..."

"Le's just focus on the current job and get the hell out of here."

"What is that supposed to mean? This is supposed to be a repair mission. Or do you have another agenda?"

"What? It is... I mean, I don't." Hammond sighed. "Look, it seems that the Ishimura is lost, but if we get the logs we might be able to prevent this from happening again." He looked around nostalgically. "It's a shame really. She did us a fine service."

"She was going to be retired next year."

"I know, but still..." Hammond cleared his throat. "We're not getting anywhere. Where is the Captain? This will be easier if we had his codes."

Kendra pressed a few buttons on one of the consoles. "Here he is. Captain Benjamin Mathius. Location: Med labs. Status: ...Deceased."

"What? How..."

"I can't access that data. But if we get his codes and I can bust this thing wide open."

"Get Hannah on it. We should carry on trying to..." A noise from above put both of them on alert. Hammond saw one of the things in a vent above Kendra. "Oh shi... LOOK OUT!" He grabbed Kendra and pulled her out of the way as the creature came crashing through. "RUN!"

Both of them ran out of the room, onto the main bridge. Hammond took a look back to see that the creature was still in the room. Good, they can't seem to use doors. He looked around to see that Kendra was not there. Perhaps she when to the captain's nest. Hammond too the stairs and elevator down. He then walked past the escape pods, noticing that one was still there. It would be so easy to leave now, but he would never abandon his team. Still, it provided a way out if the aliens proved hostile.

Hammond entered the captain's nest and once again found it empty. Did anyone survive? He noticed a console was beeping in the corner. After making sure he was safe, Hammond moved towards it. When he got there it took every part of self control to not just bang his head on the wall there and then. The console showed that the engine was offline. Without the engine, they wouldn't be able to maintain orbit thanks to the couple of trillion tons rock weighing them down. Could things get any worse?

Hammond notice a shadow moving on the wall. He turned and saw one of the creatures in the captain's chair. Slowly, with his weapon raised, Hammond moved towards it. The creature seemed dead. It was the first time Hammond had a good look at one. It seemed like a human, apart from the fact it had scythes on its hands and another pair of smaller arms coming from its stomach. Hold on. Kendra said that the captain was in the med labs. That meant that he died when the crew still had at least some control. Maybe this guy is sat in the chair because he took over after the captain died. Hammond moved towards the body and began searching it for the codes. He was looking down for the codes on the RIG's remains when he heard a soft growl.

Slowly he looked up, to see that the creature wasn't dead at all. Hammond leapt back and tried to raise his rifle, but the creature also leapt forward stopping him from doing so. Hammond was able to hold the creature back, but sooner or later it would over power him. With one strong push, Hammond forced the creature to stumble back. Hammond then swung his arm around, knocking the creature further of balance. While the creature was stunned, Hammond made a run for the exit. He made it out the door, but the creature was right behind him. The creature died through the door before it closed and tackled him to the ground. Unable to get free, Hammond could only watch as the creature raised one of its arms high.

* * *

Vasir was annoyed. Her instincts had been in overdrive since the alarms started. The last time she felt this much on edge, she nearly died. The fact that the creatures seemed to be toying with them wasn't helping. Neither was the fact that Saren was trying to make everyone feel better with bad jokes.

"Kind of reminds me of the old horror vids no one watches. Next there'll be things floating in the air."

She could smack him for that last one. Wait. Did he say vid? She took a quick glance at the body by the window. Of course. The Humans were attacked from behind, why would the creatures change their tactics now? But that meant... oh crap.

"BEHIND US!"

The entire group swirled around to see one of the creatures slowly sneaking up on them. The group opened fire instantly. The creature seemed unaffected by the constant fire; instead it let out a terrifying raw and leapt forward towards one of the pilot's. Without thinking, Vasir used her biotics to push the creature back against the wall. It ht the wall with such force that it split in half. The pilot stumbled backwards away from the creature, keeping his pistol aimed at it.

"Don't bother; it's dead."

"No it's not ma'am."

Vasir took another look at the creature, and saw that it was using its arms to crawl towards the group. Vasir used a biotic throw on the creature. This time one of its arms went flying of. The creature let out a howl, then fell still. One of the pilots broke the silence that followed.

"That wasn't so bad." The group the heard a noise to the left.

What they saw was a creature with wings clinging on to the body by the window.

"What is it doing?" As if to answer his question, the body grew blades out of its hands, and then began to let out soft growls. So that was where the creatures came from. Vasir was about to shot both creature's when the room filled with a scream. She turned and saw that the other body had already been turned. It was now in top of one of the pilots, who now had a large scratch running don his left leg.

"GET IT OFF!"

Vasir used another push on the creature sending it flying. As it was being pushed away, the creature swung down with one of its arms and slashed the pilot along the chest. The pilot started screaming in pain. Vasir then fired her weapon at the creature this time aiming at the limbs. This time the creature fell apart instantly. But her victory was short lived.

"Vasir, behind you." After hearing Saren's warning, she swung around.

The creature that they saw being turned was swinging down with its arm. Vasir tried to dodge, but still received a small cut on the side of her face. She then used all her might to use a biotic push on the creature. When it hit the window the creature completely shattered, leaving a red stain where it hit. The glass was also cracked. After the creature shattered, the siren stopped wailing and the orange light was replaced by the normal ones. The danger had passed, but where did the one with wings go? She made her way to the injured pilot, to see the other one already checking his injuries.

"He will live if I leave to take him back to the Blessing, but I have to go now."

"Leave him. We have a job to do."

"What?" Vasir turned and saw Shiala looking at her shocked. "You can't be serious Vasir? We can't just leave him to die."

"It's that or we send our only escape away, and I don't feel like being trapped here."

"This is someone's life we're talking about."

"People die every day."

"I agree with Shiala." Both Asari turned to see Saren. He took a step back after seeing the glare Vasir was giving him. "What I mean is Benezia wants us to look for the other Humans. If we leave the ship unguarded, the creatures might sneak aboard. We can't let them get on the Blessing. What's one pilot going to do against those things anyway? No offence."

"If it gets me out of here, you can offend me all you want."

Vasir sighed and turned to the other pilot. "Fine, take him. But you better be ready when we call you."

"Yes ma'am." The pilot picked up his friend and made his way back to the shuttle.

"Let's go." Shiala and the Spectre's went through the door that lead behind the window and deeper into the ship.

* * *

Benezia, Ledra and Velra had arrived at the bridge. Again the station was abandoned. Aside from the two bodies in the hanger and the mystery survivor with an itchy trigger finger, they hadn't found anyone or anything. It was a good thing that they hadn't found any of the creatures, but something else was concerning Benezia. These creatures dealt massive trauma with minimal effort. They obviously controlled the ship and it would be impossible to hide all the crew in a small area. Also, surly some of them would have died in the initial surprise. So where were the bodies?

They opened up the main door to the bridge. What greeted them shocked even Benezia. The bridge was a wide open space with terminals along the sides and at the front. There were further computer screens to Benezia's left. Beyond them was another door, presumably to some sort of security room. In the centre was a large elevator, and a platform for the captain to observe their crew. At the very front was a large window which showed the expanse of space. Benezia had never seen a sight so grand. Council ships were tight quartered CIC's, even on the Destiny Ascension. No space was wasted, in order to improve efficiency. But this? The wide space, the clear view of the void. It all created a sense of superiority. She could only imagine the beauty the bridge staff had witnessed, or the pride they felt when seeing one of their fleets so clearly in all its glory.

In between the two sets of terminals at the front were some stars that led deeper into the ship. She turned to the others.

"Ledra, Try using a terminal and see what you can find. It would be best if you could get a complete translation for our Omni-tools. If this place is overrun, then all of us need to be able to communicate. Velra, stay with him while I check down there."

The others nodded and Ledra went to the nearest terminal. Benezia cautiously moved down the stairs, pistol drawn in case she needed to defend herself. At the bottom of the stairs was an elevator. Unlike the other elevators she had seen, this was more a platform. Why would they build some elevators with walls, and others without? She got on board and worked it the same way she had the others. When the platform descended she realized that she would probably be in the true command area of the ship. If anyone was still alive, they would be there. The elevator began to slow down revealing a small open area with some sort of pods around the edges. Probably escape pods.

Just then, someone came falling through the door at the far side of the room. Almost immediately after, a creature that almost looked Human as well jumped out onto him. The Human was struggling desperately, but was unable to shake the creature of. The creature then raised one of its hands to strike down. Benezia acted fast, using her biotics to fling the creature to the side and into an open escape pod. The Human used this opportunity to shot at the creature. Then he raised his hand and lightning came out. Some sort of biotics? Benezia was able to see that he used this lightning to grab the door of the escape pod and shut it. With the immediate threat gone, the Human got up of the floor and raised his weapon to aim at Benezia. Now that she could look at him clearly, Benezia recognized him from the log. That meant he was also likely to be the one who shot at her earlier. She would have to approach this carefully.

Just then, the elevator lowered to reveal both Velra and Ledra aiming their weapons at the Human.

"Wait." Both her companions stopped. "Lower your weapons."

"Mi' lady."

"Just do it." Benezia slowly bent down and placed her pistol on the floor. Behind her, she could hear the others doing the same.

The Human seemed to relax slightly at the sight. Benezia then slowly reached into the pocket that contained the translator. She then placed it on and spoke through it.

"We won't hurt you." Strangely the Human tensed at this. Ah, trust "won't" to not be translated. Benezia sighed slightly, trying to find the right words. "We...meld. Speak...better."

The Human seemed thoughtful. Finally, he nodded. Benezia and Velra took a step forward. The Human instantly reacted and aimed at Velra, who in turn raised her hands.

"Just me. Stay here." Velra nodded. Benezia continued to move slowly at a slow pace. When she reached the Human, she raised her hands to each side of his head. The Human leaned back. "Please...relax." She continued to place her hands on each side of his head. "Embrace eternity."

* * *

Isaac was getting impatient. Here he was forced to wait here, safe and sound, while Nichole was somewhere on the ship. Just how long would they have to wait?

"Isaac, if you keep pacing you'll end up going through the floor."

Isaac looked down and saw that he was indeed pacing.

"Sorry Hannah. I just..."

"You just want to find Nichole. I know."

Isaac nodded and sat down on one of the chairs. Better pass time with small talk then do nothing.

"So Hannah, hows..."

The door to the control room opened and both Hannah and Isaac aimed their guns at it. A scaly alien stepped through and, upon seeing the two aiming their weapons at him, he began to glow blue and somehow pushed Hannah away. Isaac ran up to the alien and swung his plasma cutter at him. Apparently working in engineering makes you good at hitting things hard. The alien learned the hard way and stumbled from the impact back through the door. Another alien, this time a blue woman, came through the door and leapt at him. Isaac was able to avoid the incoming blow and swung back. His blow connected and the alien fell to the floor. Isaac then stood over her, aiming his plasma cutter at her head. He then began to feel something pressed against the back of his head.

"Drop it!" Hannah came back into view, obviously pointing her gun at the alien behind him.

Just then, the scaly alien from before came back in the room holding his head. When he realized what was happening, he quickly aimed his gun at Hannah. They were now caught in a standoff, and the aliens had the advantage.

**A/N: Yes, I know that the Colonies were defeated by EarthGov long before Dead Space, but I have plans for them. These plans will not begin to be revealed until the end of th story however.**


End file.
